“I think this is politics and this is an election year,” Gillard said, who’s now the president of Michigan’s Children.

Gillard contends both sides can successfully argue the point: Democrats, that overall education funding declined; and Snyder, that state spending on education increased.

“I would agree with Gov. Snyder that state funding support for K-12 education has gone up under his watch and he’s correct in that,” Gillard said. “I think overall funding for education has gone down, but there’s a federal component to that.”

Pressed over whether the decline in overall education could be blamed on the incumbent, Gillard said no.

“I think that the Democrats will have a hard time if that’s their sole argument,” Gillard said of the education funding debate. “In my opinion, no, Gov. Snyder is not to blame for the decline in education spending.”